Complaints Against Solicitors

EDM number 1878 in 2003-04, proposed by Austin Mitchell on 04/11/2004.

That this House is concerned that the continuing failure of self-regulation of complaints against solicitors by the Law Society has still not been adequately addressed by Government, whose only action so far has been the half measure of appointing a legal services complaints commissioner who is also the full-time Legal Services Ombudsman, whose power to fine has already been reduced from a suggested five million pounds to one million after consultation with the Law Society, and whose work has been made dependent on milestones or targets determined by the Society despite the fact that the Law Society has consistently failed to achieve its own targets; is further concerned that the review of the regulatory framework on legal services in England and Wales, due to report in December, has been compromised by its close meetings with and sympathetic responses to a Law Society still fighting vigorously to retain the maximum degree of self-regulation, despite the huge weight of evidence showing that it has already failed; therefore calls on the Government to stop deferring to the Law Society and taking hesitant half measures and instead to set up a fully independent, full-time, external system of regulation of complaints against solicitors with power to fine and award compensation.

This motion has been signed by a total of 39 MPs.